The Mexico forward planted a header beyond Lukasz Fabianski after a superb cross by substitute Adama Traore for his 14th league goal of 2019-20. Raul Jimenez set the record for the most goals by a Wolves player in a Premier League season after netting against West Ham to help strengthen his side’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Traore was also involved in the second goal, substitute Pedro Neto volleying home Matt Doherty’s cross as Wolves, who started the day in seventh, moved above Sheffield United and level on points with fifth-placed Manchester United.
West Ham remain in trouble near the bottom after a poor performance, their first shot on target not arriving until the 49th minute when 19-year-old defender Jeremy Ngakia tested Rui Patrício from distance. Will Wolves join Europe’s elite?
It is hard to believe that Wolves’ marathon season started 331 days ago with a Europa League qualifier against Crusaders on 25 July. This was their 49th game of the campaign yet the enforced break appears to have done Nuno Espirito Santo’s side power of good as they marked their return to action with a thoroughly professional performance.
Not for the first time, Traore played a critical role in his side’s victory despite starting on the substitutes bench. In a game of few chances, Wolves took control when the Spaniard produced a sublime cross for Jimenez to send a powerful header into the net.
They doubled the lead through another substitute, Portuguese winger Neto delivering a sumptuous finish after Traore set up Doherty to deliver a fine cross. Wolves are now unbeaten in their past six league games and now have nine top-flight clean sheets, including five in the past six games.
Nearly a year after it began, they are ending the season strongly and with a top-four finish very much within their sight, with Wolves just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Hammers in serious trouble
It is now one win in 10 league games for West Ham, who have taken just five points from the last 30 on offer. With eight matches remaining, including Tottenham (away), Chelsea (home) and Manchester United (away), David Moyes’ side are in serious danger of dropping out of the Premier League.
In March, West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady said the campaign should be declared null and void before making a U-turn, while Moyes had spoken about the suspension of the league giving his side a chance to regroup before resuming again.
Yet there was little evidence on show at the London Stadium that the Hammers can dig themselves out of trouble. They failed to register a single attempt on target in the first half, while their run of games without a clean sheet continued, their last shut-out being on 1 January against fellow strugglers Bournemouth.
Nuno’s 100% record against West Ham – the stats
- Nuno has won all four of his meetings with West Ham as a manager, his best 100% record against an opponent in league competition.
- The Hammers have failed to score in consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since March to April 2019.
- Wolves are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League matches in London (W5 D5).
- Jimenez and Traore have combined for nine Premier League goals this season (6 assists from Traore, 3 from Jimenez).
- Since the beginning of last season, only Trent Alexander-Arnold (27) and Andy Robertson (19) have been directly involved in more Premier League goals among defenders than Wolves’ Doherty (15 – eight goals, seven assists).
Source – BBC News
In other news – Arsenal suffer yet another defeat
Arsenal suffer yet another defeat. The French striker showed coolness and class to slot in his ninth and most important goal of the season, win the game for Albion and cap a remarkable comeback. Neal Maupay scored the winner five minutes into added time as relegation-threatened Brighton clinched a huge win over Arsenal, who once again lost a key player to injury.
Nicolas Pepe had fired the Gunners into a deserved lead with a superb curling shot with just over 20 minutes to go, but Lewis Dunk scrambled an equaliser over the line from close range to set up a barnstorming…continue reading.
